What method do you use to detect mobile-or-not?
On 1/2/2013 3:33 PM, Ken Irwin wrote:
Sarah asks about how to direct users to mobile versions of databases where
appropriate.
The way I'm doing it is:
1. All database links are served up from a database table, so the link on our
website is http://$OUR_LIBRARY/redirect?$db_id
2. The db-of-dbs knows if there is a mobile specific url (because we put it
there...)
3. Detect mobile-or-not as a binary value
4. Serve up the right one as an HTTP header redirect
One big exception: EBSCO (which provides a really large number of our
databases) handles their mobile access by using the same URL with a different
profile name in the url. The redirect script has a special case that says if
($mobile = true and $ebsco = true) { do string replace on the url to change
from the desktop url to the mobile url } -- so I don't have to list both
versions of the URL in the database.
It seems to work out pretty well.
Ken
-----Original Message-----
From: Code for Libraries [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Sarah
Dooley
Sent: Wednesday, January 02, 2013 3:25 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Responsive Web Site Live
Very cool--congratulations!
In addition to Dave's questions, I'd be curious to know (can't see it since I
don't have a login) how you handled directing people to databases that have
mobile versions. This is something I've been wondering about for our site down
the road and library sites in general--from a responsive site, how to
effectively link people out to vendor-provided resources that are either mobile
or non-mobile.
-Sarah Dooley
